Barack Obama and Raul Castro hold talks to improve relations

US president Barack Obama met Cuban president Raul Castro on Saturday in the highest-level talks between the two countries in nearly 60 years, and the two men agreed to push ahead on improving relations after decades of hostility.

Describing their private meeting as historic, Obama said the two countries can now end the antagonism of the Cold War era, although he said he would continue to pressure the communist-led country on democracy and human rights.

“Obviously there are still going to be deep and significant differences between our two governments”, Obama told Castro as they met in Panama, where they both attended a summit of leaders from across the Americas.